


Wheel Lock

by HermitPink



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Android Racism, Conflicted Connor, Depressed Hank Anderson, Don't trust humans and especially politicians, Failed Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Friends to Lovers, M/M, Protective Hank Anderson, They will get there eventually, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, and drags connor with him, hank and connor go live in a trailer site: the fic, hank says fuck it and runs away, kind of civil war scenario but not really, medium burn?, no one is really happy about it but they try
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 01:45:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16609511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HermitPink/pseuds/HermitPink
Summary: There was barely time to adjust, after that fateful november night. They should have known better instead of going with the flow of hopeful androids, believing humans would keep their word.Fortunately or not, both of them are experienced in betrayal. And when dreams fall like a castle of cards, Hank teaches Connor all he knows about losing everything and starting anew.





	Wheel Lock

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ghostluu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostluu/gifts), [yanderetears](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yanderetears/gifts).



> Well, this is really a project that is sitting in my docs for ages, that I now got the impulse to bring it to the world. Thanks Zoe for giving me the impulse at 2am
> 
> That's kind of my first DBH fic, but not really, some friends of mine in the discord read some shorts I've done for the fandom in a more private setup aklsjdklajfsd So be gentle
> 
> It will probably be 3 chapters, but depending on how this ends I can make it two, I just wanted to publish the small introduction i've made for this universe I'm cooking. There is not enough Revolution Fail fics with deviant Connor, and I wanted to explore that. (and maybe the politic scenario in my country rn inspired me...oh well)
> 
> anyway, comments and kudos are appreciated! I hope you guys like it, but it may take a while to finish due my busy working schedule x_x

The cicadas were weirdly loud, for that time of the year.

Not that the neighborhood was any quieter without them, no. The love song of the bugs was merely one more background noise, ringing into his ears in a feverish daze. Obscene music could be heard from down the block; and the creak of one of those bouncing cars, already tacky thirty years ago and simply absurd in 20-fuckin'-39, was in synch with the cheap beats. Kids were being kids outside, their shoes making noise along the gravel and their yells as high-pitched and annoying as he remembered.

The heat seemed to produce its own sigh of agony, unbearable even at 6pm.

Hank was sitting back on his beat up rocking chair, by the unstable steps that lead to his cramped trailer. He was nursing a bottle of beer along with his headache, the drink long gone warm against clammy hands. Facing straight ahead, the corner of his eyes were directed to the point right after the clothing line, holding his old patterned shirts and a couple of modern clothes from some sort of bootleg Forever 21, and behind the poor attempt of a fence was Mr. Pereira, having a shouting contest with his...whoever it was. Hank never had the opportunity to properly meet Pereira beyond their brief introduction and casual greetings, so he didn't know much about him besides that he was used to argue loudly with his roomate, partner or whatever. Usually about trivial things, like spending too much time looking at the open refrigerator or about a broken alarm clock.

Wiping the sweat on his brows Hank sighed along with the heat, digging inside his pockets. There was still half a dozen of the straw cigarettes Pereira gave him as a welcome gift, and with jittery hands he placed the stick between his lips, the beer forgotten on the ground for the moment. The light of the fire was yellow-beautiful-alluring, and he felt himself fall deeper into his thick haze, the smoke heavy yet gentle while visiting his lungs. The matches were from Jimmy's Bar. Hank wondered how the man was doing out there.

He didn't even know what was he doing outside, instead of just lounging with Sumo on the couch, watching some random game on the smaller television. Truth was that Hank was aware he always got like this when he was alone - paranoid yet lethargic, like someone was screaming in the bottom of a glass box filled with cotton inside his head, and he couldn't help it. By himself he was aware of where he was and what he was doing. Why he was doing it.

Most times, when he was alone like this, the 10 months he spent in this place looked like some sort of dream, the kind of that is fractured with scenes in slow motion being cut by scenes that went too fast to be real. Other times, he was sure that it was the before that was the dream, the 54 years of his life a distant memory of love and joy and pain and grief and anger and love again; leading to the moment a trembling, artificial hand was holding a gun against his temples right where a halo of light should be. It was one of those times, and Hank only had half mind to acknowledge his own confusion.

In this reality his name was Henry. It was funny, how he thought the last person who would call him that would be his mother.

 

* * *

 

_"Michael Douglas to Channel 16, we're in Washington D.C with some alarming news. After a month of closely watched discussion among members of the Android community and great figures of the government, including President Warren herself, what was seemed until now a possible step towards the recognition of Android citizenship was put into a halt. At 8:45 pm, the Senate has rejected the update of the Android Act of 2028 by 64-36, meaning that androids remain in their status of property and the machines now known as 'deviants' must seek recall at the Cyberlife tower until the end of next month._

_In a public announcement, the president of the Senate of the United States, Joseph Wright, accompanied by Cyberlife Inc. CEO, Mr. Andrew P. Mitchell, reasoned that the decision made today was heavy, however necessary to guarantee both the human safety and the rights of property of android owners, since Cyberlife declared to be unable to compensate for the investment of approximately 80% of the companies operating within the country, not including civil owners of androids responsible for household care. In interview, the President declared she will try to resort the decision, but asked for patience on both communities to avoid violent conflict."_

_"Now we'll gonna pass the transmission to Sandra Watson, who is covering the repercussion of the rejection in Detroit Michigan, where the Deviant Movement began and is now facing more protests at the main points of the city. We can see several faces of the Android Community leading the demonstration, including the deviant leader known as Markus, who's sitting with thousands of androids in the middle of Hart Plaza. The police was called in to assure the quick dispersion and security of--"_

"Television Off!” Hank yelled, with more anger than necessary. He stared at the television with eyes wide and breath coming in quick, nervous puffs, but the screen only remained black for a couple of seconds before turning to life again, the picture of violence starting to taking form, like a gruesome painting on a canvas.

And turning his gaze towards the left side of the couch, under the reddish-orange light bathing the living room, was Connor. His LED stuck in a shy red, hard to see against the bright colors being shown on TV and reflecting against synth skin. Artificial body betraying its composition by sitting inhumanly stiff, and Hank could almost mistake Connor for dead - deactivated remotely just like the android used to whisper in fear during the first, worst nights - if wasn’t for the the most human pair of brown eyes the man has seem in his entire life.

Connor’s eyes were filled with terror, engulfed by the same fire being televised by the new’s channel.

“Connor.” Hank merely said, merely pleaded. He felt his fingers twitch on his lap, but refrained himself. Human contact was probably the last thing an android would ask for, given the circumstances.

Against the harsh light and faint gunshot sounds coming from the TV, he could see Connor’s LED spinning:

Red. Red. Red. Yellow. Red. Red. Yellow. Red.

**RED.**

“I…” Connor’s voice came out faint, and Hank watched with grim fascination as the kid worked his jaw, opening and closing his mouth a few times until finally turning fully towards him.

“I was a fool. I should have saw it coming. During the aftermath of the revolution I was so distracted with….my own deviancy I, I totally disregarded my earlier calculations. Of course the probability of Cyberlife coming back at our kind was too high, but with the results of the demonstrations and the public opinion I believed, I _wanted_ to believe that....”

His gaze on Hank was so intense and overwhelming he fought tooth and nail just to not look away. He had no right to be a coward, not when there was thousands of people fighting out there. Not when Connor was being so brave, just for existing.

He swore he could see familiar blue irises reflected in those eyes, looking at him like he was the rope for a drowning man cling to. He held Connor’s gaze, offering everything despite knowing his body was long a dead weight, floating at the bottom of the ocean that is life. After a minute or so, however, Connor lowered his head, afraid or finally drowned. Hank didn’t expect to feel as disappointed as he felt.

“I need to go.” The android whispered, turning to him again and grabbing Hank’s wrists with white, glowing hands, demanding something the human couldn’t understand. “Markus and the others, they are fighting against _them_ right now and,” He shook his head, his grip tight. Hank willed himself to not tear apart on him. “And I have no right to just ignore the crimes I committed, I can’t just forget what I’ve done and almost did. They _know_ I’m here Hank, there’s a probability of 95% you’ll be involved in this and I can’t let myself hide and keep pretending we’re…”

As he went on, Hank knew the rope has been torn. He felt himself submerge once again in cold salt water, realizing this time wasn’t the same as the goodbye implied while sitting on a desk, or as the “see you later” said surrounded by thousands of new, free beings. The sorrowful finality of Connor’s tone chilled Hank to the bone, and he could hear it, the ocean roaring inside his ears.

He knew, at that moment, that Connor was leaving him to never come back.


End file.
